


A Different Slice of Life

by delta_altair



Series: Trust Love - Fair Game Week 2020 [3]
Category: RWBY
Genre: Day 3: Weapons/Family, Developing Relationship, Family, Flirting, Light Angst, M/M, Past Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Slice of Life, Weapons, fairgameweek2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-19
Updated: 2020-03-19
Packaged: 2021-03-01 03:54:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,304
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23208838
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/delta_altair/pseuds/delta_altair
Summary: Clover runs into Qrow at the training grounds and can't tear his eyes away. The ensuing sass, flirting over weapons, practice drills, and feelings over coffee is all very different from his usual routine.But Clover realizes that he's liking this new normal more and more.And, if he had to guess, so is Qrow.~~~~Part 3 in a series that fills in the blanks of Qrow and Clover's relationship throughout Volume 7, culminating in a total re-work of Episode 12 and the epilogue that these characters deserved.
Relationships: Qrow Branwen/Clover Ebi
Series: Trust Love - Fair Game Week 2020 [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1665739
Comments: 18
Kudos: 139





	A Different Slice of Life

Clover strode through the expansive halls of the training facility, looking for an open room. General Ironwood had given both the Ace Operatives and the new huntsmen and huntresses to Atlas a day off from missions, but encouraged them to train together to enhance their synergy in battle, either in their usual teams or in new combinations. 

The sounds of clashing weapons and active semblances reverberated through the hall. He had instructed the other Ops to split up and join the other teams. The younger huntsmen would gain a lot from the Ops rigorous training, while his team could benefit from learning about team RWBY and JNOR’s unique and head-first style of fighting.

Clover was planning on warming up by himself before joining in, but paused as he walked by a room near the end of the hallway. Even from outside he could hear the telltale _whoosh_ of a scythe slicing through the air. Intrigued, Clover stepped inside. 

What he saw stopped him in his tracks. A training module with at least a dozen active mechs and dust-based environment hazards was running. It was one of the toughest programs available. And Qrow was acing it.

Harbinger carved through the mechs like butter, the sound of it swinging through the air ever present. Qrow didn't stop the momentum of his weapon once, never pausing in his artistic display of martial prowess. He occasionally used the guns on Harbinger to blast into the air, but just as often propelled himself off the ground with his own strength. Harbinger was transforming every few seconds, Qrow readily switching configurations depending on how the situation shifted from moment to moment. 

It was stunning. Clover had watched Qrow in combat a handful of times, but had always been occupied with his own Grimm to battle. This was the first time he could just watch the legendary huntsman at work. And now Clover appreciated Qrow’s title more than ever. He couldn't spy a single gap in his defences, not one missed opportunity to land a hit. Qrow was graceful, precise, and above all, deadly. 

The huntsman finished the module with a final, brutal swing of his scythe, cutting down the last three mechs in a shower of sparks. With the whirlwind of metal finally calmed, the room was significantly quieter. The only sound was Qrow's breathing, heavy but controlled.

Until another voice rang out, "Oh _come on_ Branwen, put your back into it! I was twice as fast as that at your age!"

Clover started; he hadn't even realized someone else was in the room. Glancing to his left, he saw Maria Calavera standing in front of the walled-off control room. One hand was planted on top of her cane, fingers drumming the top of the painted skull, and the other on her hip. She didn't look very impressed. 

Qrow hefted Harbinger up to rest on his shoulder as he turned around. Sweat clung to his brow. "That was about as fast as I can mana-oh," his gaze locked with Clover's own. "Hey."

Maria turned, her critical frown turning to a smile. "Oh hello Clover! Nice of you to join us." Her attention snapped back to Qrow. "You sacrifice some mobility in your stance with one large weapon. That's something you need to account for more if you don't want to leave yourself open to attacks."

"He was open?" Clover asked, wracking his memory to try and find a fault in Qrow's form and finding none.

"To the untrained eye, perhaps not, but when you've spent a lifetime training with a particular class of weapon, you can see the gaps quite clearly," she said.

Qrow walked towards them, rolling Harbinger off his shoulder and into it's broadsword form. "Maria is the best scythe wielder in all of Remnant." He planted his sword in the ground and leaned on the hilt. "I based Harbinger's design off of her weapons." 

"I _was_ the best," Maria corrected. "Flattery isn't going to get you out of going over the basics again, Branwen." She paused, eyes tracking over to Clover, then snapping back to Qrow. "And you can start by taking an example for Clover here. Look-" she waved her cane in his direction, "- perfect posture! Quit slouching all the time."

Qrow sighed, but was smiling as he straightened his back. "Yes ma'am."

With a final "hmph!", she turned and began walking towards the door. "I'll go see how the rest are doing. Again, nice to see you Clover!"

The operative turned back to Qrow once Maria had left, unable to keep the grin off his face and laughter out of his voice, "Well that was something."

"What?" Qrow asked, mirroring Clover's smirk. "The show or the critic?"

"Both, but mostly the show."

Pink dusted Qrow's cheeks and ears, but he also leaned forward, resting more of his weight on Harbinger. "You expecting flattery to get you somewhere?"

"Only hoping," he teased, throwing in a wink.

Qrow suddenly busied himself with his weapon, inspecting the gears closely, but he couldn’t quite hold back a laugh. “I thought you came here to train, not to flirt.”

Clover shrugged, “I like to think I’m an effective multitasker. But now that you mention it…” He trailed off, knowing he was about to ask a deeply personal thing of the huntsman. “I’ve been fascinated with Harbinger for a while now. I was wondering if you’d be comfortable with me taking a look at it?”

Qrow tilted his head, a quizzical look in his eyes. His gaze shifted down to Kingfisher, secured at Clover’s waist, then drifted back up to Clover’s eyes. “How about we trade?”

“Sounds good to me,” he said, unclipping his weapon.

Qrow tilted the sword towards him, "Then be my guest."

Clover passed Kingfisher to Qrow, then wrapped his hand around Harbinger's hilt, gripping the red leather. He lifted it up to admire the carved glyphs along the blade, and felt the immense weight. There was a lot of machinery packed into this weapon. 

"I've really never seen a weapon like this. It's so versatile. You design it yourself?"

"Designed, built, and maintained it. And this?” he asked, turning Kingfisher over in his hands. “It’s remarkably compact. Secondary fire?” he asked, pointing to the harpoon at the base. Clover nodded. Qrow extended the pole, giving it a bit of slack. “I have to ask, though -- why a fishing pole?”

Clover laughed as he gave Harbinger a few experimental swings. “I come from a fishing family, it’s what I had the most experience with when I got to the academy. Simple as that.”

“Ice fishing?”

“Nice guess, but no. My family is from Argus.”

“Oh,” Qrow said, eyebrows raising. “That’s a ways south of Altas.” 

“It is,” Clover replied, more subdued. 

Qrow retracted Kingfisher before saying, “Well, I’ve never seen a weapon like this either, and your skill with it is evident enough.” He smiled at Clover, before asking, “You built it as well?”

“Partially, though the Atlas technicians have done a lot of upgrade work on it.”

“Ah, interesting. I’ve always been reluctant to let anyone pick at Harbinger. Though letting Pietro take a look at it was a great decision. He worked some kind of magic, really got the gun's recoil down."

"Hm, mind if I gave it a try?"

"Sure, here just let me..." Qrow trailed off as he walked forward, suddenly very much in Clover's space. He reached towards Harbinger's hilt with his hand, locking his fingers with Clover's and directing him towards the myriad of triggers underneath the hand guard. "This one to fold the blade forward," he slid Clover's fingers towards the correct switch, "and this one to fire." Clover could feel Qrow's breath on his neck. "And widen your stance," he felt Qrow's shoe tap his shin, "or you'll get knocked right on your ass." He stepped back, but the warmth on Clover's hand lingered.

"Speaking from experience?" he asked with a grin, pulling the first trigger. Harbinger's blade snapped down, giving the pair of guns a clear shot. The second, larger trigger pulled forward slightly, indicating it was ready to fire.

"Yeah, the first time the kids gave it a try. Tai yelled at me for hours after that." 

They shared a laugh, before Clover said, "I think I can probably handle this pretty well."

"We'll see," Qrow replied, smirking.

Clover straightened his back and aimed the guns towards one of the shredded mechs. Carefully, he squeezed the trigger. A resounding **_boom_ ** echoed through the chamber and the metallic husk he had aimed at went flying, peppered with several new holes. The kickback shot up his arm and into his shoulder, but he stood firm, only allowing his torso to rotate slightly to compensate. 

He tilted his head to look at Qrow, eyebrow cocked and lips turned up to a smug grin. "That _is_ powerful."

Qrow rolled his eyes, but Clover could tell he was trying not to smile. "Alright, alright, very impressive."

He pulled the first trigger and the blade came back up, accompanied by a whirl of clicking noises. He definitely didn't miss the way Qrow's eyes snapped down to his flexing arm as he hefted Harbinger over his shoulder. "These aren't just for show, you know." 

Qrow wasn't able to hide his interest as he reached for Harbinger, and Clover handed the weapon over only after catching the huntsman's eye. He held Qrow's gaze as the other man handed Kingfisher back to him. They remained still for a brief but comfortable moment, the two of them connected by their weapons. Clover felt a warmth in his chest as his hands slid away from Qrow’s.

The sound of footsteps approaching at a lightning pace was the only warning before a flurry of red rose petals slammed into Qrow's side. Impressively, he didn’t budge.

"UNCLE QROW!!" Ruby had her hands clasped over Qrow's shoulder and was dangling in the air. "Hi!"

"Hey pipsqueak." Qrow smiled, ruffling her hair with his free hand. "Training going well?"

"Yep!" She hopped down from Qrow’s shoulder.

"Hope we're not interrupting anything," Yang said as she entered and leaned against the wall next to the door, eyebrows raised in faint amusement. Weiss and Blake filed into the room after her.

“Just chatting. You wanna show us what you’ve been practicing?” Qrow nodded towards Clover.

“Our new team attacks are coming along pretty well,” Blake said, looking back at Yang, who pushed off the wall and jogged towards the rest of them.

“You mean _amazingly_ well, Blake,” Ruby exclaimed with a grin. Pointing at Clover, she declared, “You’re gonna be so impressed! Come on Weiss, let’s do the new one with the gravity dust!” 

Clover blinked as Ruby suddenly shot to the other end of the training room, hitting the control panel to clear up the destroyed mechs from Qrow’s practice. 

“Slow down, Ruby,” Weiss intoned, brushing her heavy braid back over her shoulder. While her tone was dry, she was clearly trying to hide a smile. She walked to the centre of the room, inclining her head towards Clover as he passed by. “Good morning Captain Ebi, I’m glad you could join us.”

He nodded back, “Ms. Schnee. I’m looking forward to seeing your team’s progress.”

Clover joined Qrow, Blake, and Yang at the front of the room as Ruby and Weiss began to practice their pair attacks. Once they’d completed their showcase of moves, Blake and Yang took over, and then all four girls hit the training room floor for a final team maneuver. They finished with a particularly spectacular display of using Weiss’s glyphs and Ruby’s speed to launch Blake and Yang towards a single target with devastating effect.

Clover had to admit, he was impressed. For a group of newly minted huntresses, their team dynamic was as solid as that of a decade-old squad. He surmised that having to fight outside of the academy in life-or-death situations was certainly an accelerant on learning. 

Qrow was happy as well, a proud glint in his eyes. “Great job kids. You keep this up, you’ll definitely be the _second_ greatest team to ever graduate from Beacon.” 

“That sounds like a challenge!” Weiss said, as Ruby started laughing and Yang groaned. Blake patted her partner’s shoulder before walking towards the two men.

“Clover,” she began, “could I ask you for some advice? Your long range attacks with Kingfisher are similar to the way I throw Gambol, and I think I could learn from your expertise.”

“Absolutely,” he replied.

In his periphery he saw Qrow smile at him, softer than the teasing grins they had been exchanging before. He turned back towards the three other girls and walked forward. “There are a few other ways you can combine your attacks with Ruby’s scythe,” he said, unlatching Harbinger from his belt and unfurling the full blade with an effortless twirl. “Ready to learn more?”

A chorus of excited affirmations lit up the room.

\--------------------------------------------------------

An hour full of one-on-one coaching, thrilling team building, and only one too-close-for-comfort explosion later, Clover made a run to get some coffee while Qrow helped team RWBY clean up. When Clover arrived back to the break room adjacent to the training hall, Qrow was sprawled out on a couch, one leg stretched over the cushions and the other hanging off the side. He started to move when Clover entered.

"No no, stay there," Clover said with a grin, handing one of the cups to Qrow. He was on flavour number five, of the twenty the coffee shop proudly advertised, at this point. "You look too comfy to move. I have enough room." He sat at the other end of the couch, stretching one arm over the back as he took a sip of his own drink.

"Thanks," Qrow said, though he did sit up enough to be able to drink. "Today went well."

"It did! I'm very impressed by how quickly team RWBY and team JNOR have integrated here. I'm glad they're helping protect Atlas."

Qrow nodded while he considered his coffee. "Hm, bit too fruity, but it's still great, for coffee. And yeah, so am I. Thanks for coaching Blake earlier, by the way. She's always been a bit shy, it's good to see her coming out of her shell."

Clover was starting to realize that Qrow was much better at reading people than his apparently indifferent personality let on. Seeing how deeply he cared for all the kids was heartwarming. Clover silently wished the universe would show Qrow some of that kindness back more often. "No problem at all. I know I told you this yesterday, but they're lucky to have you. You really look out for them all."

A moment passed where Qrow said nothing, looking off into the distance. Quietly, he responded, "I really want to, you know? They've been through so much, the least I can do is be a stable presence for them."

"From what I can see, you have been."

Qrow sighed, "I appreciate that, really. It hasn't always been the case."

"Is that something you wanted to talk about?"

Crimson eyes stared at him. Clover could almost hear the gears turning in the other man's head. Qrow sat up slowly, his motions somewhat subdued. Turning his head to look at Clover, he nodded. "Alright."

Qrow told him about Brunswick Farm: the exhaustion of the team after the train crash, the creeping feelings of lethargy and indifference, the horrifying infestation of Apathy Grimm. And his own decision to drink himself numb.

"I was already in a bad place when we got there, but it was no excuse. Even with the Grimm. I was supposed to protect them, the kids. My...family, really." He fiddled with the edge of the coffee cup. "And I failed, miserably. We would have all died if it wasn't for Ruby. She really is a true leader already. I remember being shocked at how much she had grown up. I felt like I had missed so much, somehow."

He reached into his vest pocket and pulled out a metallic object, handing it to Clover as he continued. "I stopped when we got on the airship to Atlas. Dumped what was left in this into the ocean."

Clover took the flask from Qrow's hand, staring down at the leather-wrapped steel. He traced his fingers over the emblem embossed in black. He was momentarily distracted by what must be Qrow's symbol, wanting to commit the intricate shape of the wing and gears to memory, that it took a moment for Qrow's words to impact him. "You mentioned something about that yesterday. I didn’t realize it was such a recent thing."

"Yeah," Qrow said, absentmindedly scratching at his stubble. "Side effects have been a little rough. My sleep got hit worst of all. Hence the early morning coffee." He chuckled, somewhat awkwardly, as Clover handed the flask back to him. 

Clover mentally weighed a decision for a split second, then spoke, "If you wanted, there are professionals here at the academy who could help you with that."

The shocked look Qrow gave him was one Clover had seen often enough to categorize -- surprise at being cared about. Clover felt an ache in his chest at that, but it lightened as Qrow slowly nodded. "Thanks, Clover. I'll think about that."

They regarded each other for another quiet moment, but Clover continued, "The important thing is that you're here, now, for them." 

"Heh, you've got quite a way with words, don't you?" 

"I try," Clover said, leaning back more on the couch, but also a little closer to Qrow. 

"You actually also said something, yesterday in the truck, that I wanted to ask about. If you don't mind, that is." Qrow seemed hesitant.

"Shoot," Clover said. "You've been incredibly open with me. Least I can do is return the favour."

"You said that not everyone is so lucky, to have someone looking out for them. Was that...personal experience talking?"

"Yeah," Clover said, taking a sip of his drink to give himself a second to think. He felt a pull to share this with Qrow, but it was about feelings he had buried a long time ago. 

"As I said before, I grew up in Argus with my family. We weren't incredibly well-off, but we were comfortable for a family with five kids."

Qrow's eyes widened. He held up his hand, fingers splayed, in question.

"Yeah, two sets of older brothers and sisters," he said with a grin. "I got selected to go to Págos Academy, before being accepted to Atlas Academy and then joining the military. It was all a huge honour, but being that far away from family was tough. I was a kid from the 'lowly' Argus, surrounded by all these upper crust Atlesians. No one really wanted to be my friend, until they figured out my semblance." 

Frowning, Qrow said, "You mentioned that before. People trying to get your good luck to rub off on them."

"Yeah. It influenced me in kind of a bad way, early on. I started assuming the worst about people, before I really got to know them. I'd push people away, because I was afraid of being hurt by them."

Clover saw Qrow's eyes swimming with concern and empathy. "I'm sorry, Clover. You didn't deserve that." 

"Thank you, Qrow. I'm doing a lot better now, obviously. I'm proud of my position here, and I've made a lot more connections than my early days." He glanced at Qrow, "I’m very glad that I don’t automatically push away anymore. It means I get to meet some pretty exceptional people."

Maybe the flush on Qrow’s face was from the coffee, maybe it wasn’t. But Clover could definitely tell that the smile on his face was from his heart.

“I’m glad too.”

**Author's Note:**

> Note: Págos is Greek for ice!
> 
> This one was trickier to write for, so I ended up mostly stringing together a little 'slice of life' piece!
> 
> Thank you for reading <3!


End file.
